A truly remarkable milestone for royals

Royalist or republican, it is nigh on impossible not to respect the remarkable union of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Meeting for the first time just as the Second World War was breaking out, the pair married eight years later in 1947 – and have remained together since.

In these days of living for the moment, where few things – including, in many cases, marriage itself – appear to have any sense of permanence, theirs is a fine example.

After all, strip back all the pomp and ceremony and you are left with two pensioners who clearly still enjoy each other’s company even after all these years.

Not that it has always been plain sailing.

As they marked their golden anniversary, an impressive achievement in its own right, in 1997, Philip praised the Queen for “tolerance in abundance”.

As he points out, this has been a particularly key quality during times of hardship.

In keeping with any marriage, there has clearly been a degree of give and take.

Yet, with the monarchy often under pressure over the years – not least, of course, in the difficult period following the death of Princess Diana – the pair have remained a symbol of stability. Three of their four children have seen their marriages break down, but the pair have persevered and deserve many congratulations for reaching such a remarkable milestone.